vice president biden's task force hears from the nra and gun sellers today as his panel looks for ways to curb gun violence. spreading outbreak. the flu has prompted a health emergency in one of the nation's biggest cities, and now nearly every state has declared a widespread outbreak. commuter chaos. dozens of passengers bound for new york city are injured when a ferry slams into a pier. >> it completely rocked me. people were like human projection tooils flying into and an orca whale struggling to survive after being trapped under a vast stretch of ice. this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, january 10th, 2013. good morning, everybody.

good to be with you. i'm terrell brown. today, joe biden's task force on gun control hears from gun groups advocating gun rights including the national rifle association. biden is promising urgent action against gun violence in the country and says the president could go around congress by issuing an executive order. susan mcginnis gets us starts in washington this morning. susan, good morning to you. >> good morning, terrell. he's asking the vermont's commission for policy recommendations by the end of january, but he's sure to run into opposition from guns owners' groups who want no changingno tightening of gun law. customers at sharpshooters firing range outside of washington, d.c., say, they're keeping a close eye on gun control talks taking place inside the beltway. >> i don't think restricting, you know, people's second amendment rights would be the solution here. >> cbs news has learned the white house is looking at

several new laws including reinstating the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004. >> we're not going to get caught up in the notion unless we can do everything, we're going to do nothing. it's critically important we act. >> today the vice president meets with representatives of guns owners groups including the national rifle association. >> i don't want any part of my freedom taken away, the freedom to own whatever firearm i choose, how many rounds i want to keep, it's my freedom. >> vice president biden believes new laws can make it through congress because the massacre in newtown, connecticut, changed the political land c.a.p.e. here in washington. >> it's touched the heart of the american people so profound ly s we learned of the young children not only getting shot but riddled with bullets. >> still, skeptics like the folks aet sharp shooters say new

laws won't prevent criminals from getting their hands on weapons. but the vice president says he and president obama are determined to act. a new gun control group led by gabrielle gift fords, the former congresswoman shot in the shooting rampage is trying to match. >> susan mcginnis in washington. thank you so much. a just released report finds possession of firearms finds part of the reason why u.s. suffers far more violent deaths than any other wealthy nation. 6 per 100,000 residents. none of the other countries even came close to that. finland, for example, has about two violent deaths per 100,000 people. in washington the president's cabinet for a second term is taking shape. today president obama is expected to nominate his chief

of staff jack lew as secretary of treasury. he helped balance a budget deal with congress. if confirmed lew will replace timothy geithner. and hilda solis announced she's resigning. she's leaving for california and is expected to run for board on the county supervisors. eric holder, kathleen sebelius and eric shinseki are staying on. this year's flu outbreak is wiegd. it declared a public health emergency. free vaccinations are now being offered. ines ferre reports. >> reporter: the flu hasn't been this bad in boston for years, more than 700 cases have been confirmed so far and statewide 18 people have died. city health officials are

preparing for it to get worse. >> in the last two weeks alone we doubled our number. if we continue this rate to see new cases, we'll have an explosion of flu in the city of boston. we really need to get ahead of this at this point in time. >> reporter: but it's not just massachusetts. cbs confirms the 48 states. >> we're seeing patient volumes and acuity levels greater than the peak of the h1n1 epidemic we had a few years ago. >> reporter: while this flu season has been a moderate to severe one so far, it's still within what they consider to be a normal range but there are still months go before it's over. this year's flu vaccine is considered to be a good match to this year's flu strains but it is not 100% effective. christine co-en's entire family

got the vaccine but her 8-year-old son got sick anyway. >> as a mom i was very disappointed that he got the flu because i had to fight him tooth and nail to get the flu shot. >> reporter: still those who get the vaccine and get stick suffer fewer complications. >> a pretrial hearing for an alleged theater shooter james holmes is over. still not clear if prosecutor will seek the death penalty. yesterday prosecutors showed killing pictures holmes took of himself before the massacre. teresa garcia reports. >> reporter: prosecutors showed photos he took of himself. in oneself-portrait he had orange hair, black contracts and a wild grin. another showed holmes stick out his tongue. there were photos taken inside and outside the theater,

including an exit door like the one police say holmes propped open on the night of the attack. there was also a picture of guns, body armor and gas mask neatly laid out on holmes' bed. prosecutors say holmes' pictures helped to show who he is, how he planned and what they called his extreme indifference. some of the family members insight the courtroom say he smiled when he saw the pictures. >> he was delighted to see himself on the screen. we were all sitting there trying to hold our emotions and he was very excited to see himself. >> he was smiling. he was having a hard time controlling himself. >> reporter: holmes' attorney presented no evidence. he said this preliminary hearing was not at the place to, quote, put on a show and present a partial defense. the judge will announce on friday whether there's enough evidence to bring holmes to trial. if the judge decides to arraign holmes, cameras will be allowed

in court that. will be the first time the general public sees the suspect since july 23rd. coming up on "cbs morning news" on this thursday morning, sudden impact. the crash of a ferry in new york city that injured dozens of people. plus, what to do about a pod of killer whales trapped in ice with nowhere to go. this is the "morning news." clear, huh? i'm not juice or fancy water. i've got nine grams of protein. that's three times more than me! [ female announcer ] ensure clear. nine grams protein. zero fat. in blueberry/pomegranate and peach.

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your doctor will say get smart about your weight. that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes. a sad sight in northern canada. a pod of killer whales is trapped by ice. they were discovered tuesday. they keep fighting for air at this opening because the next air hole is too far away. they will decide whether they will send an ice breaker to rescue the whales. they say whales trapped by ice is not usual. panic yesterday during a morning rush after a packed commuter ferry slammed into a

pier. dozens were injured, some seriously. allison harmalon was at the scene. >> reporter: a city pier looked like a mobile unite. >> it completely rocked me. people were like human projectiles fli s flying into t aisles. >> reporter: more than0 people were hurt. >> people were in pain, injured. >> reporter: she was standing up to get off when it crashed. >> i was standing there talking to a gentleman and the next thing i knew, i opened my eyes and i was on the floor six or ten feet away from where i was standing. >> reporter: passengers say the force of the impact knocked dozens of people off their feet and down stairs. >> and there were people all over the place. it was pretty scary. >> reporter: they say the

high-speed catamaran ran into the dock at about 12 miles per hour. the ferry was carried more than 300 people from new jersey to this pier in lower manhattan during the morning rush. investigators are here to figure out what went wrong. new york police and firefighters are working with the coast guard and ntsb to get answers. >> our purpose right now is to gather the perishable evidence, the information that can go away with the passage of time. >> reporter: passage and crew will be interviewed. police say the five crew members already passed breathalyzer tests. also here in new york another crane collapsed. it came crashing down wednesday afternoon. seven were injured including three underneath the wreckage. the crane was working on the first floor of an apartment building. during superstorm sandy a crane collapsed. protecting home buyers and the board game monopoly rolls the dice on its game pieces.

erica ferrari here with more on that. good morning. >> good morning, terrell. positive numbers from asia rallied the markets. tokyo he's nisei added half a percent. hong kong's hang seng also added half a percent. the dow was up 61 points while the nasdaq gained 14. the consumer financial protection bureau is unveiling new rules aimed at protecting mortgage borrowers. the regulations will ban lenders from offering risky interest-only and no documentation loans and most loan payments will be capped at 43% of the borougher's annual income. the rules will go into effect next year. aig has decided against suing against the federal government. they considered joining a suit filed by its former ceo. it was too severe. aig received $182 billion in taxpayer money during the financial crisis.

the company is in the midst of a pr campaign thanking america for its rescue. and we're getting to that -- we're getting close to that dreaded time of year, tax season, and with the tax code nearly 4 million worth, preparing a return is time-consuming work in this country. a new report finds businesses and individuals will spend more than 6 billion hours on tax filings. nearly 60% of filers will pay someone to do their taxes and 30% will use tax software. one of the monopoly board game pieces will be told do not pass go, do not collect $200. hasbro is holding a facebook con test for fans of the game to vote for a new token and to get rid of one of the old ones. the new choices include a diamond ring, guitar, and helicopter. all the old pieces are up for elimination. the new version of the game comes out later. coming up next we'll have

your weather and in golf he couldn't avoid taking a slice not on the course but in the kitchen. we will show you her latest tweets when we come back. everything's better with a great cup of coffee. exceptionally smooth and perfectly balanced for a harmonious blend of flavor, body and aroma. green mountain coffee for your keurig brewer. brew a better day.

(sighs) this is too good to be true. hi. john stamos. enchanté this is too good to be true. dannon oikos non-fat yogurt... delicious yet healthy. sounds too good to be true. there are things that are too good to be true... such as dannon oikos. thick, creamy, with 0% fat and twice the protein... of regular low-fat yogurt mmm huh. i want an oikos! dannon oikos greek non-fat yogurt... too delicious to be so nutritious. dannon here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. partly sunny, rain. rain in chicago, 44, 63 in dallas. passing showers in l.a., 58 degrees.

let's check your national forecast. a winter storm is forming in the west heading to the east. heavy rain and thunderstorms will spread into the mississippi and ohio valleys tonight. up to four inches of rain are possible in some areas, and it will be dry in the northeast. in sports this morning big rejection by baseball writers. they're not sending anybody to cooperstown this year, especially players tainted by the steroids scandal. first time that has happened since 1996. they've all been linked to steroid use. all-star got 68 but needed 75 to get in. biggio was never linked to the steroid scandal. in basketball the lakers come up short again. final minute, manu ginobili. kobe bryant goes for the tie and misses.

earl clark hurls a prayer. spurs hand l.a. their fifth straight loss, 108-105. the thunder took a buzz saw to the t'wolves. a bright spot for minnesota. luke ridnour made back-to-back steals but kevin durant was hot. he scored 26 against the injure-ridden timberwolves. oklahoma city wins by 106-84. annika southern stam one of the best female golfers of all time injured herself an then tweeted about it. the 42-year-old is the only woman in lpga history to shoot 59 in a round. on tuesday she was macon chichen and accidentally cut her finger and tweet add picture. that is pretty doggone gross. you know, you don't have to share everything. she got five stitches. her husband said she's fine and even went skiing yochl u could have kept that to yourself,

annika, for real. when we come back, doggy double take. this specials groomed dog caused a big scare when people mistook it for a dangerous animal.

in and around the country. st. louis, 56 degrees. sun and cloud in denver, 53. morning showers in seattle, 41. top stories now on a thursday morning. vice president joe biden's task force met with gun control advocates yesterday. toy they meet with gun rights advocates incluesing the nra. the city has declared a public emergency. free vaccinations have been offered. there have been at least 18 new flu-related deaths. hundreds of people were

stranded and troopers went out to rescue stranded drivers. on the left is a rescued driver. on the right, take look at this. >> watch out. seeing a car, seeing a car, seeing a car. whoo. >> luckily no one was injured. officials say there were more than 150 collisions during the storm. the washington national cathedral announced it will start marrying same-sex couples. the church will be among the first episcopal congregations to perform same-sex weddings but it will likely be six months to a year before any ceremonies are performed there. and there was panic in norfolk, virginia, where people reported seeing a lion on the loose. oh, my god, it's mao fa sa. actually not so mush. a la bra door poodle shaved to look like the lion mascot of old dominion university. people called 911 to call in baby lion sightings.

he's just your everyday party animal. i would have loved to heard those 911 calls. i'm terrell brown. this is the "cbs morning news."

. good morning. welcome to 9news now. today is thursday, january 10, friday eve. how nice to say that. i'm andrea roane. i'm mike hydeck. we're in double digits in the new year. >> it is moving quickly. >> good morning, monika?

>> good morning. >> how are you? >> i'm great. >> i'm deck deck by the way -- i'm mike hydeck by the way. that's howard bernstein. he does weather. a few 50s but all in all, today will turn out to be sunny in the morning. more clouds in the afternoon. temperatures seasonably cool but still above average, around 50 for the afternoon. here is a look at your day planner. by 9:00 we should be averaging low 40s across the region. it's 50 now with mostly cloudy skies at national. 48 by noon. so we're going to drop and come back with the increasing cloudiness for the afternoon hours. those afternoon temperatures upper 40s to low 50s. average high is 43. we had some showers yesterday afternoon. i really thought they were going to stay in the mountains. well, they came across the mountain, held together and that's why we had that brief period of showers for a while. this morning you can see the clouds coming across the region. on the other side of the divide, we've got some breaks. that's where temperatures have really dropped. culpeper 34. oakland 32.

lots of low to mid-40s in many of the suburbs this morning. fredricksburg is 38. reagan national 50. don't expect much change from that after we drop off a little bit. upper 40s to low 50s for the afternoon highs. 4:26. here comes monika with timesaver traffic. in hagerstown, just west of that, i-70 westbound green castle pike, overnight a construction crane fell across the road and blocked it off till almost 3:00 this morning. in case you heard about it, it's all cleared up. the lanes are open. so you can go through that area without a problem. here on the outer loop of the beltway after new hampshire avenue, there is construction in place taking up two lanes but volumes are very light. here's what it looks like in germantown. no problems at route 118 coming in from fled rick. let's -- frederick. let's go to the west side of town on the westbound side of the dulles toll road, blocked off at connector road one more time because of overnight construction. inbound 66 looks great coming

in from centreville. we'll take a live look on the northbound side of 95. you have got construction north of dale city. only the right lane gets by. i'll be back with more at 4:39. thank you, monika. vice president biden met with his task force wednesday to come up with ideas to move forward with gun control legislation. today he'll meet with the head of the national rifle association. >> president obama says he is ready to move forward with a ban on assault weapons. susan mcginnis has more. >> reporter: customers at sharpshooters firing range outside of washington, d.c. say they're keeping a close eye on gun control talks taking place inside the beltway. >> i don't think restricting people's right -- second amendment rights would be a solution here. >> reporter: cbs news has learned the white house is looking at several new laws, including reinstating the assault weapons ban expired in 2004. >> we are not going to get caught up in the notion unless we can do everything we're

going to do nothing it's critically important we act. >> reporter: today the vice president meets with representatives of gun owner groups, including the national rifle association. >> i don't want any part of my freedom takenway. my freedom to own whatever firearm i choose, however many rounds i want to keep, it's my freedom. >> reporter: vice president biden says he believes new laws can make it through congress because the massacre in newtown, connecticut changed the political landscape here in washington. >> i don't think anybody has touched the heart of the american people so profoundly as seeing -- learning those young children riddled with bullets. >> reporter: sharpshooters say new gun laws won't prevent criminals on getting their hands on dangerous weapons but the vice. says he and president obama are determined